A Lesson in Humility

The empty void of nothingness started to fill up with the sights of the experience that awaited. Everything around me illuminated in a bright red hue like I’ve been transported to a land where the sun sets eternally and the first sight that awaited me was a path of dirt. I looked further down to see myself wearing shoes and clothing I don’t own, but ones that looked very familiar. I had full control over my body… I could see the fingerless black leather gloves on my hands and with those fingers, I could feel the smoothness of my face and the frame of my glasses.

What was above me was a distant bright glowing ball of light, it wasn’t blinding, but it was bright enough to illuminate everything around me leaving very little darkness.

“No way” I muttered under my breath

I was surrounded by a very large crowd, all as amazed as I was. Some of them, commenting on each other’s appearance, others checking out their weapons while some were complaining about them not having any ammo. Judging by the energy of this place right now, I’d say that’s a good thing.

To my right lay the massive gate where I entered with another crowd in front of me, while keeping my eyes peeled for anyone I know. The moment I entered and saw its outskirts, I instantly remembered this place from ages ago, which was confirmed to me by the word ‘Helios’ that popped up on the corner of my vision. I got caught off guard by that, so much so, that I tried to touch it, only for a menu to appear. And I just learned how to bring up my inventory.

However it wasn’t empty, as I was greeted with the prompts of 4 empty M4 and pistol clips respectively, a few boxes of 5.56 and 9mm ammo and an item named ‘mirror’ highlighted in a yellow font. My attention was immediately drawn to it as the item immediately materialized in my hand. What stared back at me was my own face. I performed a reality check on myself once more as I touched my own cheek and pinched it…. The sting that followed was not as bad as I expected ... .Pain reduction perhaps?

After getting my bearings of this place, I finally was able to spare the time to look around. While the energy of this place was at an all time high, it was much less chaotic as it was outside the gates. Some were still lost in this overload of information, others were making new friends and running into the people they already knew. Speaking of which….

I opened my interface and looked to see if there was a party search function, but I was fresh out of luck. I guess it was time for plan B…. chances were high that I would run into someone I know in Helios. Knowing how they work, chances are I might run into Tadashi, Yukari or Misha at the least, considering Hayato and Akio got their folks in tow.

Ah….a strong chance of my new playthrough to be starting with a female companion, maybe it’s a sign.

But as I walked ahead with my head in the clouds, I ended up colliding with someone which resulted in her shrieking and falling to the ground.

“Ow, ow, ow” she said

I offered her my hand “I’m sorry about that, I should’ve paid attention to where I was going” to which he replied by taking my hand

Upon a closer look, she was more on the cute side…..

“Don’t worry about it, I was separated from my group and I can’t seem to think of a way to find them” she replied

“I guess that makes the two of us… But chances are, you might find someone you know at the Guild. So maybe if you….”

“Actually, if you are heading to the Guild yourself, mind if I follow you? I’ve not played this game a lot and I still have no clue how anything on this interface works” she said

Catching me off guard, I mustered all I could to stop myself from stuttering “Huh? Oh…yeah, sure….. Give me a minute, there has to be a way to add you to my party just in case you get lost”

She didn’t even let me finish “I won’t get lost, I’ll be close”

“Okay then” I replied

Gods above, I thank you for this opportunity

“Also, by the way… What should I call you?” I asked, trying to initiate a conversation

“Oh…. Very sorry about that, I couldn’t introduce myself yet. I’m Minami”

Hold on a minute ... .I froze in place for a second as I looked back at her and sighed “You really haven’t played many online games have you?”

“Did I give it away that easily?” she said with a dumbfounded look

“Give away?.....General rule No.1 of online gaming: You don’t introduce yourself using your real name. You really can get in trouble if you tell your real name to someone sketchy.” I informed her

“Doesn’t that imply that I’m confident and not afraid of them?” she struck back

“Yeah, but….” I had my hand to my face as I got a good sense of how inexperienced she is “You know what, nevermind. But remember what I said, if you want to introduce yourself, use the name above your health bar. That’s your in-game name”

“Hmmm? Oh…. In that case, let me have a do-over” said Minami

“That’s not how it-” but I guess she didn’t even hear me anymore

She cleared her throat “Hello, I’m Hellspawn.. nice to meet you” she said that while having her hands behind her with her bubbly aura almost overpowering everything

“Wouldn’t I like to be in that kind of a hell” my thoughts leaked out

“Hm?” Her puzzled face looked back at me

“Nevermind” I sighed once again and decided to play along “Close enough…. I go by Guardian… however it’s only fair that I tell you my name since I know yours. I’m Junichi…. my friends call me Jun”

And in the nick of time, I was met with an unexpected but welcome surprise

“Oh ho….. not even two hours in and the self-proclaimed romantist has become the romantic…. Very unexpected of you, Jun” what are the chances of her appearing out of thin air

I turned around to confirm what I already knew and there she was

“Misha?”

“Yo… guess I lucked out running into you here” replied the devil herself

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.

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Filling the shoes Misha left behind had been something that I’ve not figured out, even after a month on the job. But in the end, I was nothing but scared for what lies ahead…

My undisturbed ride on the L-Train came to a halt as a cloaked and hooded figure sat right next to me

“Jun Kanie?” he asked

“Only my friends call me Jun” I replied back, while keeping my gaze on the window opposite me as the train whizzed past city blocks.

“I got a message from my employer ... .for your eyes only” the mystery man passed me a letter, to which I grabbed without paying him any mind.

The seal of the Ghost Broker on the note confirmed that this was indeed from the sleazy bastard himself

“I didn’t stop for a moment ever since I left there, your boss works fast” I said, but as I looked up to catch the man in my peripheral vision, there was no sign of him.

I turned my head and looked around for him, but it was as if he had vanished.

“This is a moving train” I muttered to myself

But another surprise awaited as the smooth train ride was suddenly met with a thump, and then a smear of red splashing onto the windows. It didn’t take me long to figure out what had happened here.

I’ve heard that this has become fairly common on the L-Train, both inside the train and out of it. But this was the first time that I witnessed it in person. But I didn’t know what was worse…. That someone built up the courage to end it all, or the fact that not a single person flinched even at the sight or sound of it.

I took the remaining time I had, to read what the Broker had sent me;

‘Dear Mr. Kanie…. I am very regretful that our exchange ended as it did. However, as a token of my goodwill and trust, consider yourself recognized as a partner of the Broker Network. If you ever need my assistance, your passphrase is ‘a paying customer is asking for some guidance’. For the right price…or item, me or my associates can offer you any information you need as long as it falls under my guidelines. Until we meet again…. Your mutual friend’

As long as it falls under his guidelines…. I know a trap statement when I see one.

The eventful train ride shortly after. And after a couple minutes of walking the tamer streets of Helios later, I found myself at one of the few places in this place that I could catch my breath. I knocked on the door thrice

“Come in” answered a reassuring voice

I opened the door and peeked my head it only to be greeted by an empty and silent precinct with Yamori-senpai at his solitary desk busy at what he does best

“Junichi! How have you been?” He closes his file and diverts his attention towards me

“Good Afternoon, Senpai… was just passing by and came over to check in” I said

“Well, in that case, you might be the only entertainment I will have all day today… Make yourself at home. If that’s even possible in a police precinct” Yamori-senpai replied

“Can’t really be a slow day down here?” I asked

“Oh you would be surprised… Turns out we have had an unexpected guest in the city these past couple of weeks and people are really on edge with him on the prowl” Senpai said while tidying up the files on his desk

“Tadashi?”

He paused for a moment “Ah…. Nakamura-san mentioned that he told you about it. Totally slipped my mind”

“Speaking of which…. Did you hear anything from Akio? He ran after someone after a match yesterday and haven’t heard a word from him since” I inquire

Yamori-senpai paused and turned to face me “I was going to drop by your clan house about that actually… I had another lead about Chifuyu-san last night, and Nakamura-san went after it. He told me to let you know that he will be away for a while, and that he didn’t want to bring any of you into more danger….”

Sounds like something Akio would say.

“As a matter of fact, he checked in with me a while ago. Said that all is well and… he is getting closer” Senpai said

“Closer? Closer to what? To Tadashi?”

“That is what he said '' Senpai didn’t seem bothered by it. I guess that Akio might have a leg up on Tadashi somehow this time.

Why didn’t he tell me any of this…. Maybe he is still hung up on what I told him that day

“Something on your mind?” he read me in the middle of my train of thought

“Ah no, it was going through my head about why he is avoiding me all of a sudden. He told me about Tadashi and we had a little bit of a dispute yesterday and now… he’s doing his own thing” I took a seat at the waiting area

“You guys had a fight?” Senpai moved towards me and sat beside me

“I won’t call it a fight… but it was about something I said and…. I thought about it afterwards and I realized that I was in the wrong for even implying that…..” I looked down at my hands on my lap “I told him that I would not hesitate to leave him for dead if it meant that we got out unharmed but….” I looked at Senpai “What kind of a friend would I be if that was true?”

Yamori-senpai got up and walked towards his desk at a steady pace “If you want to know what I think, I’d say you were in the right at that time”

“What makes you say that?”

He went behind his desk and opened a drawer “I’ve seen some crazy shit down here, Junichi. Things that I couldn’t have even imagined back in the real world.” He placed a bottle of booze and two glasses on the desk “I’ve thought a bit about what big man Sato said that day, about this place being designed to push human morality over it’s limits. The more I see what happens day after day here, the more I realize that he might’ve been onto something.”

“You sure you want to be drinking on the job?” I remarked with a smirk

Senpai looked around “Well… it’s just as you said…..a slow day” he filled up two glasses and walked my way

“From all I have met, protected and investigated. Most of them have one thing in common…. The victims always had seemed to trust the one who eventually stabbed them in the back. Random murders and muggings gone wrong is one thing but…. It’s as if the truth of human nature is heavily embedded in envy and hatred.”

He extended me a glass

“Ah, no thanks… I had a few already.” I attempted to bluff my way out, hiding any obvious tells

“You sure? More for me I guess” he said and sat beside me again “The point I was trying to make is…. That the people who put others' lives above their own, are more likely to be stabbed in the back by the same people that they are trying to protect. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will learn to be looking over your shoulder more often…. And the sooner you find out that eventhough it might not feel right, fending for yourself is the key to living longer.”

“Is that why this precinct still only has one employee?” I asked

Senpai paused and downed one of the glasses. “I suppose so”

He then gets up and walks back to the desk again

“I’ve known you for too long to know that you have something on your mind. Care to tell me about it?” he asked

I looked up at him and he was putting away his empty glass and now holding the one he brought for me.

“Ever had a time where something bad happened….. and you are just…. mad at yourself for not being able to do anything?” As I said that, Senpai’s expression turned from being relaxed to more remorseful one, as if I struck a nerve

“Sakuragi-san?” asked Yamori-senpai

“I’ve been having the same nightmare for weeks. I-”

“You keep seeing the same scenario over and over again, but no matter how much you want to change the outcome…. You just can’t. Until you see their face on the ground, staring at you without any life in them” Senpai said, interrupting me with his gaze lowered

Looks like he isn’t alien to the concept, eventhough he did go a step further.

“How do you move on?” I asked

Yamori-senpai paused “You don’t”

He looked at me “Even if there was nothing you could’ve done ... .Your mind never lets you forget. As much as the human mind is advanced and is an irreplaceable asset, it’s also accurate to call it a poison.” Senpai started to close the gap between us step by step

“But just like every poison….if they don’t kill you, they all wear off as time passes..” he sat next to me “ It’s all nothing but a game of endurance…it’s not easy, but all you can do is wait….it may stop one day, but you’ll have to learn to live with the repercussions it leaves behind”

The first time it happened I convinced myself that it wasn’t my fault…. That there was nothing I could’ve done to save him. But there was no running away from the truth this time…. The guilt hung onto me like a leech, and the more I tried to get it off me, the deeper it bit me. All this time, I thought I had to learn to move on. But now it’s clear that I have to learn to live with it….

Senpai immediately bounced back from his somber mood “Well… there is no rest for the wicked. As much as I would love to catch up with you more Junichi. Unfortunately, I have some business to attend to”

“I thought you said today was a slow day?” I bounced back as well

“Ah, ah, ah…. Slow doesn’t mean standstill” he got up and stood in front of the door I followed and left the building as well… “I’ll be in touch if I have any update on Nakamura-san’s situation”

“Senpai!” I caught his attention before he closed the door “Thank you for today”

Senpai gave me a nod of approval “Of course, anytime you need help, you know where to find me”

I turned around and walked away, but as I started putting some distance, my eyes darted at the corner I was waiting at yesterday, hoping that I might run into him again. But that hope was nothing but empty.

I took my communicator from my inventory and placed it in my ear, now that I had nothing to hide. However, it started ringing almost immediately. I pressed the button on its side to answer.

“Nii! We have a problem here! Onee-chan, she is….” The fact that she was panicking was not a good sign

“Meguru, calm down…. Tell me what’s happening?” I asked

“I told her it wasn’t a good idea, I should’ve stopped her…” her panic was shrouding her thinking

“Where are you two?” but all I heard afterwards was her stammers and heavy breaths.

“Meguru!” I attempted to snap her out of it

“Mid-Sec Guild house….. they were waiting for us….” As soon as she said that, I hung up and high tailed it.

I stuck to the less crowded alleys and side paths just in case I don’t end up running into a random crowd causing an incident

….She sounded distraught…. Did something bad happen to Mai? No, don’t think that…..but what will I do if that is the case?

I tried to block out my thoughts as I navigated through Helios Mid’s deserted blind spots, and after a strenuous trek, I found myself trying to catch my breath in front of the Guild house. A dense and scattered crowd was concentrated inside and I started to navigate through it as soon as my stamina bar came out of the red.

It took quite an effort to get myself into the building and to see what was happening in the middle…. A sizeable group beating her down, but Mai being her stubborn self, refusing to back down

“Onee-chan, stay down” I heard Meguru’s pleas as I was closing in on them through the flocked onlookers.

"No…way ... .in hell” Mai barely was able to get up onto her knee, but judging from the bruises on her face, this had been going on around when I was at Senpai’s.

The crowd at the back started to cheer “Looks like she got more fight than the usual boys…. Looks like we got more work to do”

The group was closing in on them

“Looks like the bitch is refusing to know her place even after all we threw at her… I’d say we up our game” said one of the assailants at the back

“I’d suppose” And suddenly the guy at the front darted his eyes towards another target “Why don’t we find out if the other one is as resilient?”

“Meguru…run” Mai said barely piecing together her words

The much passive Meguru started to step back from the approaching group, clearly afraid. The lead man reached out to her in the attempt of grabbing her

But he proved unsuccessful as I countered his attempt, making it through the crowd in the nick of time

“That’s enough” I said

“Huh? And who are you supposed to be?” The man asked.

He tried to throw a punch at me, but I managed to evade and lock the arm I grabbed on his back and kick him towards the rest of the hostile group.

“Nii-chan!” Meguru ran and cowered behind me.

“Nii-chan? Ahhh I see, so much be the big bad brother of these two crooks” the lead man said

Looked back at my shuddering sister “It’s fine… I’m here now. Go help Mai, I’ll handle this”

Another thing I learned in the spur of the moment is that I have to rely more on my personal fighting skills during a confrontation in a safe zone. Makes sense why Mai was utterly defeated….. if she had her weapon, she would’ve sent these guys back crying…..or in body bags.

“So…. What are you going to do about this now? Nii-san?” The man expressionless voice was clearly taunting me

I remained silent to try and piece together what has happened here

“What? Wasn’t the big bad brother aware that they had been doing quests without paying their dues?.... YOU THINK WE ARE FUCKING JOKE?”

Well that answered my question

“You tell me” I retorted

He cracked out a couple laughs of mockery “ You see, this is what’s wrong with you sheep. We do all the work to protect you and you try all you can to rip us off”

But that ended up enraging the injured Mai “Rip you off? What you people are doing is daylight robbery….”

“Mai” I tried to call her off

“Protect us? I’ve seen you people abandon others who were desperate, who were begging you to save them. You don’t protect anyone….you and all you work for do NOTHING BUT PREY ON THE INNOCENT!”

“MAI!..... That’s enough” I somehow got her to stand down

“Oh that’s a shame. Now that….. is something I am not willing to overlook.” He gives out a slight nod after averting his sight away from me. And suddenly, the sound of my sisters struggling filled my ears.

I looked around only to realize that it had completely slipped my notice that the goons had circled around me, and two of them got the jump on the injured and the docile.

“Let me….go ... .you creep” was one of the many lines that flew through my ears as they fruitlessly fought back against their captors.

“You little… “ But as I was trying to approach, the man extended his arm at me and cut me off

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you” he said and the next moment, I get struck in the back of my legs, dropping me down to my knees and I was restrained in a grapple hold by a goon

I wanted to attack him, but he held my family hostage and there was no saying how worse this situation could get if I did act…. As much as I hated it, I was powerless.

“You see, one thing that we hate more than tax evaders, are slanderers. Slander against our respectable clan will not go unpunished….” He said as he turned away from me

“Wait!.... Let's all just….take a step back, and talk this out” I pleaded

The leader turned back towards me and looked me in the eye, he then proceeded to crouch down to my level. “What is your name?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry did you not hear me from down there?…. WHAT….IS….YOUR….NAME!?” he screamed at me inches away from my face

“Jun” I replied and dropped my head

“Where are you from, Jun?”

At that moment, the receptionist happened to build up some courage “Sir, you are making a scene here….if you could”

He immediately got up and pointed at the man behind the counter “You shut your NPC ass up… We players are talking here, and you think I give a rat’s ass about what a RANDOMLY GENERATED CLUMP OF CODE WANTS ME TO DO!?”

And just like that, the poor man was reduced to almost nothing. With that out of the way, the leader came back to me

“Where are you from, Jun?!” he repeated with a more stern tone

I hesitated for a moment “Tokyo”

He sneered and got up and walked towards the two men hold Mai and Meguru “Tokyo…. A pampered Japanese family”

“So here’s what’s going to happen, Jun…. You are going to say goodbye to your dear sisters as we take them away to make them….. atone for their crimes. But on the bright side, your debt will be cleared and both these rascals will have guaranteed safety…”

“I’ll pay” I interrupted him to which he tried to hold back his laughter

“Pay?.... You really think you can afford it?”

“Tell me…what is owed!” I looked him dead in the eye and asked him

The man locked his gaze at me and smirked “125,000 Rels”

The crowd around me suddenly drowned itself in a sea of whispers

“Go fuck yourselves, we only did a few quests…” Mai’s anger was apparent in her voice, but she was instantly pacified as her captor let her free and punched her in the gut, flooring her.

“Can it, brat” and he kicked her down onto the floor and pressed his foot onto her chest.

“Alright!..... alright….. you win….. Just don’t hurt them”

The leader kept darting his eyes between me and his group, I guess he wasn’t expecting me to be able to pay the sum. But thankfully the…..wait….. that weasel, did he predict this was going to happen? And if I remember right….

The transaction interface opened requesting that ludicrous amount from me, but I had no choice but to cooperate. The debt was paid, leaving behind a massive hole in our finances.

“Huh, he really could pay it” the leader muttered

“Now….let them go” I asked

He paused for a moment “Unfortunately I don’t think so”

“What?”

“The debt is paid sure, but there is still the matter of the interest”

“Interest?”

“You see, I heard you Japanese are some of the humblest people in the world, so I’ll let you off easy…. Get down on your knees and grovel…. Beg me to let your siblings go, and I will consider it.”

“Huh?”

“You people think you are special? Consider this a reality check… You want your family to live, you get on your knees before me. Show these people what happens when try to go against the New World Order” he said, drawing a knife and pointing it at me

“Don’t do it, Nii” said the floored Mai, but for her rebelliousness, she was greeted with a stomp to her chest

“What part of can it did you not understand, bitch” her captor said

“Don’t kid your…” but as I tried to reject him, I remembered both their faces….One who lost all hope and the other who lost because of my inability

I froze for a moment…. What if I lose them too?

It’s as if I lost all my control to instinct at that point as against my judgment, I found myself kneeling in front of him with my hands in front and my forehead to the ground.

“Let them go…. Please” I couldn’t look any more pathetic even if I wanted to.

The leader placed his foot on me and pushed my head into the tile floor

“You see, dear onlooking sheep, this is what happens if you try to cheat us ... .to people who think this world revolves around them.” After he addressed the audience, he took his foot off and kicked me hard across my face, sending my glasses flying into the crowd.

“However…..after some long and hard thinking, I think you guys still haven't answered enough for your incompetence….” He turned around and faced his men. “Send those two to Razir….he’ll put them to work”

“No” I tried to get up as Mai and Meguru were getting taken away from me, but all I was met with was a kick to the ribs, flooring me once again.

“You should’ve taught your sibling to not foul-mouth people that are above you…. You only got yourself to blame, Nii-san”

No….never again…. I won’t lose….anyone else…..

I tried to crawl back up to my feet, but his hit from early on concussed me, and I barely had any strength to get up. I was surrounded by a crowd but no one was helping….. I was all alone

…..Senpai…Akio…. someone, please help me

“What is going on here?” suddenly another commanding voice pierced itself through from the group’s blindspot

They turned around and all of them seemed spooked all of a sudden.

“Captain Roland…. we are dealing with some tax evaders. And this little bitch right here badmouthed us so we are taking them away”

“Tax evaders…hm… I see. Remind me, was that the assignment you were given by me today?”

So this guy is the superior by the looks of it

“Uh..no…but-”

‘But what?” the captain guy was in the leader’s face

“We were keeping a lookout as you told us to, but this happened…. We got them to pay however” the leader was sweating bullets

“So they paid, and as I saw it you made this man right here humiliate himself and yet you are still punishing them”

“It’s because…”

But before he finished the sentence, the captain struck him so hard that he fell onto the floor.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” I could sense the captain’s bloodlust from all the way down here

“Collecting dues is my job ... .When did I ask for you cannon fodder pawns to do my job for me?” he closed the distance to the grounded man “I gave you bottom feeders one job. Remind me…” he crouched down to his level “What did I tell you to do?”

The leader was frozen in fear

The captain, Roland, looked irritated and he threw a knife right into the eye of the man who held Meguru captive. The captor started screaming in pain of having his eyeball ruptured and the other captor went to his help, allowing Mai to break free as well

“Let…me…go” Mai said as she broke out of his grasp and both of them ended up right next to me

I slowly got back up to my feet to shield my sisters from this psychopath….He wasn’t someone I wanted to tangle with as well…. He threw a knife with precise accuracy at the eye of a man holding a hostage, while crouched. That takes some unreal amount of skill.

“Nii, you alright?” asked Meguru

“Both of you get behind me” I demanded them

But this Roland guy didn’t even acknowledge our existence, instead, he was busy elsewhere

“You…told us to look out for…. for the traitors. And to take them out” the leader said

“Take them out?.... Let me fill you in on something, the two people you were to look out for. One of them is a trained assassin. You really think that your group of wannabes could take out someone who doesn’t even think twice about taking lives?.... You think you are all better than all these sheep but the truth is… your job was to die by her hand so I could find her and end her and her sister. That is what my job is so let me ask you something….. Do you really…really want to take over my job?” Roland asked

“Not at all…..Captain” he replied without even making eye contact

“Good…Now how about you and the other fodder back there take off for today…. You’ve done enough to tarnish our name today” he got back up to walk away but he turned back around once again “Oh and one more thing ... .you mention Razir’s name one more time on duty, and I’ll make sure you swallow your own tongue, permanently…..”

He then turned to the crowd “Now get the fuck out of here……ALL OF YOU!” His scream managed to disperse the crowd and the goons, leaving only him and us in the center.

I remained silent not wanting to take any unnecessary risks, especially with two people I had to protect.

“Kids, am I right? Even when you think you have them under control, they do some stupid shit to upset everything. All the more reason I despise them with a passion” Roland faced us “Oh you don’t have anything to be alarmed about, it’s those wastes of flesh who were at fault here. I hope you were not planning on posting any player quests or recruiting because that is going to be hell for you since you showed weakness in front of everyone” he said

“What do you want?” I asked

“Nothing….”his tone turned slightly carefree before returning back to being serious “It’s just I work by giving warning first. You don’t pay your dues next time, it’s me who will be visiting the Scarlet Knight’s clan house next time”

That put me on high alert

“Oh yeah, I know exactly who all of you are…. The remnants of the legendary Team Zero…. Masterclass Mid-ranger Guardian…also known as Junichi Kanie and the once famous powerhouse twin duo Violet and Overwatch ... .or should I call them Mai and Meguru Kanie.”

We all took a step back involuntarily, but it didn’t matter as Roland started to walk towards us

“I also know that you also have one of the two people who made Zero a legend in the pro scene as well. Although, I don’t see him anywhere today ... .As you can see, dear Kanie family. If I know all this about you” he stopped right in front of my ear “Then you really don’t want to get on my bad side because I will know, how to break every….single….one of you” he then rebounded back to being carefree and tapped me in the shoulder “But….if all goes well, and you know your place…you’ll never see me again. You have my word about that”

He finally left, walking away showing his back to us “Till next time, legends”

I was disgusted at my own weakness, I was nothing but frozen in fear in front of him. A victim to his threats….But I hid my emotions in front of my weakened sisters as I didn’t want them to worry

Exhausted and beat, we slowly started to make our way back home. Not a word was said until Mai broke the silence halfway through

“Nii-chan, I just wanted to say…. I didn’t mean all of this to happen…. for anyone to get hurt I’m….I’m sorry” the usually headstrong Mai was almost at the verge of tears

“It’s okay, Mai…. It’s not your fault.” At that moment, I remembered the broker’s words, and since all he said so far had come true….

“Those bastards will get what’s coming to them soon” I said

“What do we do now, Nii? We haven’t got any Rels left for PvP. It’s going to take a long time to get enough to even try and compete” Meguru gave me a rundown of our current situation

“I think I have an idea of what we need to do next. It might even help me move on as well”

Mai and Meguru looked at each other and then at me

“And what’s that?” Mai asked

And I let them in on it “We look for a tank player”